Cedar discovered birding as a kid growing up in the Adirondack mountains of New York State, surrounded by fields and forests and a wealth of breeding birds. Being homeschooled allowed them to spend much of the spring and summer outdoors, learning the birds and nature. In high school they did extensive volunteer field work for the second Breeding Bird Atlas, from 2000-2004. After taking a break from serious birding for a number of years to pursue their other major passion, music, Cedar rediscovered the joy of birding and became a serious lister in 2012. For the last decade they’ve been birding all over North America and beyond, leading field trips at bird festivals and for the local Audubon group where they now live in southern Vermont.